Gophers are Golden

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Grant Potulny scored on a power play 16:58 into overtime as Minnesota beat Maine 4-3 on Saturday night for its first NCAA hockey title since 1979.

Minnesota's Matt Koalska tied it with 52.4 seconds left in regulation after the Black Bears took a 3-2 lead with 4:33 remaining on Robert Liscak's goal.

John Pohl had a goal and two assists for the Golden Gophers, 4-8 in NCAA title games. Minnesota (32-8-4) also played in the 1989 championship in St. Paul, losing to Harvard in overtime.

The game marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that the title game has gone to overtime and the fifth in seven seasons.

It was was a bitter end to an emotional season for Maine.

Maine (26-11-7), wearing green shamrock-shaped patches on their jerseys in honor of Shawn Walsh, the coach who died of cancer before the season began. Walsh led the Black Bears to titles in 1993 and '99.

Michael Schutte, who scored two goals, was called for tripping Koalska with 4:02 left in overtime, giving the Gophers their power play.

Pohl, who finished as the nation's scoring leader with 78 points, assisted on the goal, dropping to puck to Potulny, who put the puck through Maine goalie Matt Yeats' legs.

Potulny, who scored twice in Minnesota's semifinal win over Michigan, is the only non-Minnesotan on the roster.

Adam Hauser made 30 saves for the Gophers.

Liscak scored his third goal in two games and put the Black Bears up 3-2 with 4:33 left, silencing the pro-Minnesota crowd. Liscak ended the Gophers' season last year with an overtime goal in the East regional.

Hauser, who faced 16 shots in the third period, was pulled with 59 seconds remaining. Pohl controlled the puck off a faceoff in the Maine zone and dropped it back to Koalska, who tied the game with a slap shot.

Maine interim coach Tim Whitehead has rotated his goalies throughout the postseason, so Yeats got the start in front of Mike Morrison, who was 20-3-4 this season.

Yates, who made 41 saves, was kept busy on his 23rd birthday.

Keith Ballard took a power-play pass in the first period from Riddle and sent a rocket through Yeats' legs for a 1-0 lead.

The Black Bears played intense defense, though, preventing Minnesota from getting a shot on goal during a 5-on-3 that lasted more than a minute.

Maine's persistence paid off on a power play in the second period, when Peter Metcalf set up Schutte for an incredibly easy goal that tied it at 1. Schutte, parked just outside the crease, caught Hauser out of position with a perfect pass from Metcalf.

Skating toward the Black Bears bench, Schutte raised his index finger to his facemask in a taunting attempt to hush the Frozen Four record-crowd of 19,324.

Pohl put Minnesota back in front later in the second with a shot from behind the left circle that went high past Yeats.

Hauser, the school's career leader in wins and saves who's been streaky throughout his four-year career, let Schutte's slap shot slide underneath his glove just 1:17 into the final period.